


You Don't Mess With Jack

by hitagashi



Series: ROTG Prompted or Weekly [2]
Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: A L L of them, Community: rotg_kink, Gen, The Helpers are scary okay, all of them - Freeform, also the Nightmares are scared of all the other Helpers, also the weird talking in general from the eggs, and weird names, especially the Eggs and Butterflies, sorry for the OC, sorry for the weird introspective talking, the violence gets pretty graphic later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-02
Updated: 2014-03-01
Packaged: 2017-12-16 20:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/866374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hitagashi/pseuds/hitagashi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's found out secretly and revealed at the meet but in the end it just comes down to this:</p><p>Spirit of Pain or not, you do not mess with Jack Frost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for [this prompt](http://rotg-kink.dreamwidth.org/2389.html?thread=5990997#cmt5990997) at the ROTG kink meme. I'm not ditching RFB either, I'm just worn out on it and this one loved me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Pain makes her plan.

She had been a spirit much longer than him. What did this boy do to deserve this role? He was nothing, a mere trouble maker with nothing but a want to mess things up. How dare he? Yes, they had defeated Pitch with his help, but he had also ruined them. Surely this one act was not enough to earn this place.

She was confident in this, that she was in the right, that she could not be faulted. Winter was a fool's season, cold was a fool's plight, and fun was a fool's disgusting waste. What use had she for these things? She, a creature of hard work, severe discipline.

She was work. She was effort. She was blood, sweat, and tears. She was the hurt that came from a friendly tap and the agony that came from a hard strike. She was Pain. Pain which could always be used for the best of reasons. To ensure safety, to keep obedient.

So, she would do as she felt was her _right_ to do. After all, who could deny the herald of Pain?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA that Pain is a long running OC of mine and she usually is still this cruel. Actually, I tamed her a lot for this.
> 
> **Edit 13 October 2013** : Beginning to update with art in relation to only having... three chapters left to write as of this update!  
>  **Edit 30 April 2016** : I redesigned Pain to look like [this](http://hitagashi.deviantart.com/art/PIXEL-Immuseptock-the-Goddess-of-Pain-603661401).


	2. Discovering the Pain of Jack-of-Frost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Eggs are a hivemind and Discover.

Jack-of-Frost liked to visit the Warren. It was nice, the eggs thought, that he cared enough about their keeper that he would visit and help him if he could. But he always waited for Bunny-of-Mound to be there. This is why the eggs took interest in him touching down. He wasn't aware they were _always_ awake, not just when it was Easter or when their keeper was around. Which was fine for this moment.

This rare moment where he looked around and then took off his hoodie. His bare skin normally would have been worthy of juicy gossip between the other Helpers but now, now the eggs had to keep from rushing the sprite as they took in the bare skin.

Because his arms were practically black.

The ones that knew they would be going with Bunny-of-Mound next took careful note of all the bruises. They were hand shaped, there were claw marks inside the bands of black. When he turned, they noted the foot shaped bruise on his stomach.

They whispered, in the words of their kind, of their need to tell. But they would wait. They needed solid evidence. They would find it, one way or another.

A plan formed in their mind, for they were one above all things. They would bring this matter to the _others_ , those outside of Bunny-of-Mound who were of Us. Those which helped the other Guardians and made beneath the radar their worries and solutions.

And they would bring it to the last of Us, the Nightmares, those things of Fear. Surely they would know how to deal with this... disgusting creature that would dare lay hands on Jack-of-Frost. He who was also of Us would be kept safe, even if it meant calling in the slightest of Us. Those which were of the Earth but not of Them that Pitch-of-Black dreamed of.

So the eggs thought in their collective mind, so would come to pass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack-of-Frost = Jack Frost obviously  
> Pitch-of-Black = Pitch Black obviously as well (he was once called Pitch-of-Fear and Nightmare-of-King)  
> Bunny-of-Mound = Bunnymund. They know his name is E. Aster Bunnymund but they only call him Bunny-of-Mound. He's also seen as E-of-Aster, Bunny-of-Easter, Easter-of-Bunny, and Aster-of-Bunny.
> 
>  **EDIT 13 October 2013:** Lookit my lovely egg picture.


	3. The Elves are Truly Vicious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Elves speak gibberish and remind people that they do end to Know.

Five arrive at the North Pole and two greet them. The Elves are excited because their friend (because they knew better than North that the Egg was One) visited. The meeting is boring and the Egg can leave with Dingle, Sergei, and Gregor. Three of the five stay, listen to the meeting and relay it to the Egg. The Egg relays this meeting to the Elves that grinned and made seem like they were idiots beyond what they were.

Okay, so they were kind of stupid, but they'd been Cossacks, terrifying Cossacks, that listened to North and he needed minions not workers so they had shrunken down and made themselves... stupid.

The Elves met with those who considered them of Us (this pleased them more than the Egg knew) and began the meeting. After all, it had to be serious if they had to sneak the piece of their friend away to speak to It.

"Abjva?” Gibberish was their home tongue here, not even North could understand it. It suited the Elves and Egg fine. _Report?_ Dingle had asked, little golden eyes serious for once. They were Cossacks, they knew when seriousness was required.

Their minds were hit with a barrage of images, images and words. Their dear friend pulled them into Its Mind. The image of before, Jack mottled and black, claws and foot and hand the cause. The image flashed over countless, countless spirits that could have done this. Ones with no open love.

But no. This was wrong.

 _Wrong?_ The hive mind reflected back thousands of voices. Wrong. This wasn't someone openly bad. The Elves consulted with the Egg, bringing the older, the more savage of spirits to mind. The Egg brought to mind Pitch-of-Black, curious if he counted amongst them.

But Pitch was many things, he had never physically struck Jack. _Jack-of-Frost,_ the mind supplied to complement it. Images of their Other-of-Us. Pitch was too flashy, too dramatic. Also, his Fearlings insisted he would never, no matter how annoyed, ever strike a child. They had never elaborated, but the rest of Us understood then.

So the old spirits.

But which? Surely not Her, as her Watchers would never harm Jack. And not Him, he which never left the realm he kept without reason. And not They, that one which was seen as Man and Woman and was older even then Pitch and Him.

But there were still many old, old spirits. This unsettled the Elves. And in true Elf fashion they pulled away from the alluring pull of Its Mind and chattering to each other excitedly. Even more so when Jack alighted beside them. They chattered at him, presenting the Egg's two errant pieces and delighting in his laugh.

Sergei was careful, bumping into Jack's back. The boy jerked, pain clouding his face. And then he was being pulled away. The Elves led him to his room and the Egg and they considered him in true Us fashion. In that the Us gave him assuring nudges and demanded he play games with them. They knew, now, the pain was growing. This saddened Us, made them almost frown. Sergei, of course, was exempt and frowned anyway.

Because Sergei is grumpy and no one can fix him.

So Jack says as well, in fact, earning a wry grin from the perpetually angry elf before the frown is back. Their Frost Friend cheers and dances in place at this, smoothly pulling many of the Elves out of Sad Thoughts. The Egg is still upset but they assure it that nothing is wrong.

Or, rather, that it was nothing they couldn't handle.

They had to be sure, though, that Jack was not there when they acted out their plan. And that none but the Helpers saw that they were still terrifying as they were. Bring attention to them and their plan is ruined. The Egg agreed, realizing stealth was needed.

And this was all that was needed for them to begin. They would speak to the Yetis. Phil and Yaloo and Tashi would know how to handle this. But they would have to be careful, yes, very careful. Can't have North figuring it out. Or Bunnymund realizing they held two pieces of Egg. Though why he thought It was his was beyond the Elves.

What spirit could harm Jack Frost and get away with it?

None. The Elves and Egg would prove this. Even if they had to alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm using a lot of headcanon here and making the Elves once be the Cossacks under North's command.


	4. Yetis are always Prepared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Yetis and plan and Pain is kind of a creep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been gone so long I wanted to actually finish it for once. So here's the Yetis.

The yetis heard them chattering. Heard them speaking to It and discussing their plans. They think to alert North, know they should, but they don't. They waited and calmed down and assessed. Their skills would be useful in protecting someone that is One of Them.

When the Elves and Egg approached, the Yeti took shifts listening to the hyperactive chatter of them, Relaying it to the others, quietly, when North was away. There were preparations for a large party, a grand one. Most spirits would be attending, even those that unsettled those considered to be One of Us. And, look, the Egg had gotten the Yetis thinking like it.

They narrowed their search. The oldest of the old were not in this equation. Why would they be? They were Old, older even than the Earth. They had no reason to harm Jack Frost. It wasn't those of old that were younger either. Someone in the middle. One of the emotive ones.

They suggested this. And added that they could find out at the Party. But they must alert the Fairies and Her helpers. What person this was may have been unclear but it could be assured that they would not get away with it.

The Yeti were prepared. As were the Elves and Egg. Whichever spirit this was was going to pay for it.

\--

Miles away and Pain sipped at her wine, considering the Party taking place sometime in the future. Should she go? It would be... interesting to see the Boy try not to flinch at her presence. But then, everyone did. She was Pain, after all, and there was nothing stopping her from being unsettling. Especially since any pain inflicted was always written off as an accident.

She would never be caught. She was sure of it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Fairies join in.

Alerting the Fairies and not Tooth was difficult. They were all a piece of her after all. They had to wait, patiently, for the Party to do so. Tooth had gotten... tipsy, to say the least. Her pieces sighed as she draped herself over North and exclaimed that he was “super duper comfylicious” while giggling profusely. It was a source of amusement for many, especially those others that were less than sober. The Fairies spared a giggle at seeing North covered in drunken spirits before dashing off to find their friends.

They were spotted, Elves, Yetis, and Egg, and Baby Tooth led the little fairy entourage to them. Or, they tried, stopping and shuddering as one of the older spirits passed by them.

Creepy, creepy, CREEPY!

But they had missed who it was, too focused on the intense feeling of discomfort that came from being around that one person. They dashed forward, chittering quickly and seeing if perhaps their friends knew which it was that had disturbed them.

 _Too many spirits_ , the Egg told them. The fairies wilted then jerked up and chittered quicker. Why were they being secretive? What was going on? Did it have to do with perfect, white and snow teeth, sweet, lovely, wonderful Jack? Was it about how he was moving?

Sometimes the other helpers forgot that as Tooth was terribly intelligent that so were the little pieces of her.

There was a quick relay, image after image, conversations, observations, one Mind to another. The Egg shared everything it knew with Them, pressing forward their idea that it was someone old. Old but not too old. Not one of Them and also not of the era of Us. Not Pitch-of-Black either.

The fairies agreed, chittering quickly and telling them that the Nightmares _liked_ Jack-of-Frost. Why would they hurt him? No, this was something else. Something dangerous and terrifying. They knew it.

And so they planned, one thought showing above all in the Of Us mind. Inform Hers and the Nightmares. The Nightmares would help. Hers would be able to know the best. But the Nightmares would help and this would be over and Jack-of-Frost, White as Snow Teeth Jack, Jack Frost, Jack _Jack_ _ **Jack JACK**_ would be safe.


	6. The Rabble pulses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Rabble knows.

Getting into the Great Gardens was easy. As part of their duty, the Guardians met with Mother Nature frequently. She seemed especially fond of Jack, being careful to pay attention to him. Everyone of the Helpers watched as She seemed to _fix_ him by being in his space. The way he brightened up and luxuriated in Her affection. That was good.

The Rabble went towards them, made it seem as though they were just fluttering freely. They made away quietly, planning the next meet up. She wanted to visit soon, something about spending time with Her “darling Winter Child” while She took a tour of Santoff Clausen.

They waited.

The meeting came and those that pulled away weren't noticed to be gone. The Rabble's thoughts seemed to echo in theirs, soft and fluttering like them. The Egg relayed what they thought, the fairy Mind sending the feeling of _wrong_ from that one spirit. The Rabble wilted for a moment and then flurried.

_There are some that are old and angry and so very cruel. This that We think is Red. Blood? Like Death but not loved by Death. Like Life and cherished and feared by Life._

The group of helpers were curious over this.

_She knows this feeling and She is saddened She can do little to help. She does not have the proof She needs to do so. And so, We will help you where She wishes she can._

A nod, collective and then the Rabble seemed to pulse.

_We will bring pain onto Pain. This one will not hurt Our Winter. He is too dear and He will be **safe**._

The plan was simple, now, they just had to bring those of Fear, the last of Those of Us, into this. Because even Pain wasn't greater than Fear. And no matter what, the Us knew that the Nightmares would bring her to Fear.


	7. The Herd doesn't like the Red Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Herd lays waste to Pain.

They were squabbling, not because of a fight but rather because they'd seen Pitch and Pitch was spreading a tiny bit of Fear. The roads were unsafe (not Jack's fault, he knew, but it wasweather that could hurt) and these children were being _stupid_. Some days the Nightmares thought that he was actually made to keep idiots alive. They snorted at that, content to lounge about. Jack was trying hard not to laugh as Pitch turned purple in his annoyance at literally all of the Guardians trying to say he wasn't supposed to do that.

They like Jack, he's Family.

They think the Fearlings would like Jack too if they ever left Pitch or their stupid ship deep in the Realm of Fear. They are fond and Pitch is as well though he tries to hide it. It's obvious to them, however, when he grows annoyed, covers Jack's ears, and _yells_ at the Guardians.

His language can be very colorful.

The Nightmares do nothing as Those of Us settle beside them, merely nicker quietly in greeting. The Rabble, the Egg, and the Mind all relay some quick messages, flashes of thought. The Nightmares were quick to decipher it, seeming to not even care. But Those of Us knew, just as Pitch-of-Black seemed to sense, that they were angry. A relay into their thoughts had them nickering happily at permissions from their master.

This Red Woman was a menace. The Nightmares all stood, shaking off imaginary dirtiness. Yetis, Elves, Fairies, Egg, and Rabble all joined them in leaving. Made it seem like they were just going home.

When they arrived in her home, they were almost waiting to be ambushed. Instead, an amused woman was there, the Red Woman, and she seemed to find their interruption of her plans silly. The rest stayed back, though they wanted to fight, so badly, instead the Rabble and the Nightmares moved forward. They watched as her amusement turned to apprehension, red eyes flicking over them warily.

The dark in the room grew, it grew and came to span the whole of the place, shadows taking light from many of her things. The Rabble was bright in comparison, bright and fluttering furiously.

They struck when she turned her attention back to them. Nightmare after Nightmare, Butterfly after Butterfly swarming and stretching and the laughter of Pitch in his most powerful years echoing as a tool for their attack. She thought, at first, that it was of the Dark Ages, when he was so powerful her cabal of dark emotions were stronger still. But this was far more twisted, drove her to realize this was of when he first became Pitch Black.

She screamed.

The Nightmares called on their Others, on those that stayed hidden away to keep Pitch safe. Not to use them but to funnel their Fear into a steady force.

When they pulled away, the Red Woman was hunched in on herself, eyes wide and body shaking. There was a hiss from the Nightmares and then from the Rabble and Herd came the voices of their keepers.

_Do not dare lay a finger on Jack Frost again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pitch has a potty mouth and the Herd are genuinely freaking creepy. Also Pitch and Mother Nature are like "get ur paws offa jack" and she must.


	8. Permissions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they receive permissions and a new suspect.

It was a slow thing, for the helpers, all of them watching as he recovered. He spent time with them all, played tricks on their keepers and was generally himself. It pleased them all.

Still, they kept a close eye on spirits after that, watching them interact with him. The Guardians paid it no mind, took it to just them being protective of the new member of their group. As true as that was, it was more a steady sense of wariness.

So when Pitch approached them at a party he'd actually been invited to (and that Jack had literally dragged him to by his robe with Mother Nature's help), they were obviously a bit concerned. Instead, he just settled down, watching the merriment and how Jack floated around.

“You know, he reminds me of my daughter as a child. What I can remember of her, anyway.” He chuckled, watched the way Jack fluttered nervously around Mother Nature when she had tugged on his hoodie. A small smile was on her face even as she adjusted his clothes just a bit.

“ _Dokran?_ ” He turned his attention to Sergei, brow raised and smirk on his face.

“ _Worry_? No. Suspicion, yes. Keep a close eye on that one for me.” The group tensed for a moment, offset by the oddly fond look on Pitch's face as he regarded the butterfly in his hand. “The Fearlings are jealous of not being able to help. As are Sandman's merfolk. You should talk to them about that.”

And with that, the Nightmare King was gone but the helpers agreed that that was as much a sanction for further protective actions as they needed. Honestly, who was going to argue with a King?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ennnnd! Whew. This was interesting. Anyway, Pitch understands them because he's closely linked to the Nightmares/Fearlings and, like the Egg, Fairies, and Rabble, is able to operate on a hivemind wavelength. He just don't. Thanks for reading!


End file.
